The Kirin

When I was at highschool I had a habit of drawing a kirin for every Chinese new year celebration. I don't know where this idea came, probably it just happened a few times that around January I created an artwork featuring a kirin, and this just stuck. A kirin is a beast from Chinese mythology, something like a unicorn. It has the shape of a deer, but has only one horn or antler, and its back is covered with scales.

As life went by this tradition became neglected. I wanted to bring it back however, so at the end of 1019 I sat down to plan a painting with a kirin. As usual I had a whole scene in mind, as if it was taken from an animated movie. A beautiful but ancient forest where this magical beast roams.